Year of Art: Photographer Emily Chalk captures life in colour

In part 10 of our Year of Art series, photographer Emily Chalk shares her work, Jardin Majorelle

Auckland-based photographer Emily Chalk shares a bold snap from an adventure in Marrakech, Morocco.

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’ve always been drawn to the shadows, as much as the light. That’s more often where the truth lives. I’m an advertising and lifestyle photographer based in Auckland, though I’m often on a plane to somewhere else. Most of the year I’m shooting for brands and magazines, with a personal project always going on in the background, where I get to explore new ways of creating and tell the stories nobody has asked me for. Right now that’s Jandals & Tomato Sauce, shot in Kūaotunu on the Coromandel, and Takiwātanga, a series shaped by life with my non-speaking autistic son.

On location in the medina, Marrakech. “Bastet found me,” says cat lover Emily.

What do you love about photography?

The curiosity. I love being let into someone’s story and getting to be part of people’s lives, even for just a short time. I see places and cultures I’d never have known otherwise. And I ask questions I’d never otherwise get the opportunity to ask. I like having my preconceptions challenged – and every so often my mind gets changed completely. I love that a photograph can give away something the person didn’t know they were showing me.

What’s the story behind Jardin Majorelle?

I was in Marrakech photographing a family of snake charmers for a personal series. After several days in the heat and bustle of Jemaa el-Fnaa, I took myself off to Jardin Majorelle. Every corner I turned, there was something exquisitely designed and the whole place felt calm. It swarms with tourists now, but through a gap in the path I spotted one woman sitting alone with the view, and thought that must be how it felt when Yves Saint Laurent had it to himself

Where in the home would the print look the best?

Somewhere that needs a window. It’s a big, cool blue print with a lot of green in it, so it can lift a dark hallway or a room that doesn’t get much sun. It should feel like you could step into it.